Year 2000 Computing Crisis: USDA Faces Tremendous Challenges in Ensuring That Vital Public Services Are Not Disrupted

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO discussed its views on what additional actions must be taken to reduce the nation's year 2000 risks, focusing on: (1) an overview of the potential impact of the century change on the Department of Agriculture's (USDA) mission; (2) how the department is structured to address the crisis; (3) how much work remains to be completed; (4) the efforts of ten of USDA's component agencies and the department as a whole; and (5) the year 2000 status at the Farm Credit Administration (FCA) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).